Three Time's the Charm
by LaughingDemiGod
Summary: The Titan War has finished, but danger is lurking as much as ever. As a new band of Demigods come into play, a dangerous journey awaits.
1. Chapter 1

**My first fanfic on here! Eek! First of all, I do not own Percy Jackson or the books. That's Rick Riordan. And also, this setting happens before Camp Half-Blood added all the new minor god cabins and etc. Although I did keep Hades's cabin. Oh, and this story is mainly going to focus on characters based on people in real life. And thanks to lil'hawkeye3 for helping me with this! Enjoy, read, and review!**

******Chapter 1: Joanna's POV**

"Ha ha ha!" I put on a burst of speed as Lindsey ran behind me, trying to tag me with her dish towel.

"Come back here! You are _so _not done with your share!" she yelled, stopping for a moment to catch her breath. "The harpies'll have our heads if we don't finish the dishes in time!"

I raised my eyebrows in mock surprise. "You? Actually serious? This is a new start for you!" I laughed, but stopped once I got a blast of water in my face as an answer. Spitting out the salty liquid, I narrowed my eyes at Lindsey.

"Oops, sorry. It seemed like it rained. Just on you, that is." The girl smiled sweetly, and rather satisfactorily.

"Oh, you are _so_ going to get it." I shot after my friend, who had turned around and darted into the kitchen where we were supposed to be doing dishes. After a few minutes of her pulling objects into my way and hiding behind racks I finally decided enough was enough and took some fishing line out of my pocket. Still running, I attached one of those rubber-covered hooks and carefully aimed at Lindsey's foot. My aim was perfect as usual, and the hook caught her foot, swiftly yanking her off her feet. Lindsey gave out a yelp and tumbled to the ground. And, of course, only she would get hopelessly tangled in the fishing line as she fell.

I burst out laughing at the sight of my friend gift-wrapped in the clear, plastic string, and she sat up and started shrugging off the line, her hair covering her face so I couldn't see her expression.

"Give up?" I asked her, still smirking.

She stood up and turned toward me, the mischievous smile evident on her face. "You know I don't. Good luck doing all the dishes!" In a flash I understood what she meant and straightened up to block her from exiting the room. But in a blink of an eye, she was gone, slamming the door of the kitchen into my face and locking it with a loud _click_. Now I was alone in the humid, fluorescent-lit room.

I sighed, shaking my head slightly. I couldn't believe I had fallen for a little trick like that. Oh well. I knew what would happen next anyways. I stood by the sink and counted to ten. _1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7..._

_8..._

_9..._

Before I could even start to think of _10_, the tell-tale creak of the door opening interrupted the silence, and Lindsey entered again, smiling sheepishly. With the rag in hand, Lindsey started scrubbing some of the dishes. After a few moments of silence, I started working also, humming to myself. I just knew Lindsey would come back in to help me. She always did those kinds of things: leaving me to do something by myself or something like that, then coming back in a second later like she regretted it. She probably did. And she never stays mad.

After a few hours of tedious work, we were done. We rewarded ourselves with a few drinks from the magical goblets that appear with your meals, able to fill itself with any drink of your choosing, provided that it wasn't alcoholic. The two of us chilled on the wide, wooden steps of the Big House, me drinking my Sprite and Lindsey gulping down her Root Beer. We were both doing the same thing: surveying the camp. Our camp. Camp Half-Blood.

Located on Long Island, New York, Camp Half-Blood looked just like an ordinary strawberry farm from afar. And even if you went up close to it, you'd still think it was a farm. That was the beauty of magical barriers, Golden Fleece, and the stupidity of ordinary human minds. Okay, well, not stupidity. That's what Colin would say. The Mist. It was a strange magic that made human minds see abnormal, freaky stuff as normal things. Like I could be walking around New York with a pet dragon and all people would see would be a dog or even a big lizard like a Komodo Dragon.

Anyways, once you were allowed _inside _this 'Strawberry Farm,' your view changed, completely. Greek styled buildings dotted the huge valley we were in: there was an arena, an amphitheater, buildings you wouldn't see in the normal city. The Big House was a blue building with a wraparound porch that Chiron, our activities director lived. But there was also pretty normal things too, like the lake where you could see people canoeing, the archery station, and the volleyball court. You could even see students riding their winged horses around the dirt trails running through the woods nearby.

There was also a dining pavilion, lined with torches with a big brazier in the middle. There were thirteen tables, ones that matched your ordinary picnic tables, with the wooden table tops and benches. But they were also covered in white cloth purple trimming.

But the most interesting thing, to me anyways, were the cabins. There were thirteen of them, arranged in the shape of a U. A big fire blazing in a brazier was located in the middle, with a little chestnut-haired girl sitting by it, always tending it. Now, from this description you're probably thinking of your average camp cabins, but that's where you're wrong. Each one is different, according to each Olympic Greek god. I'll list them so that they're easier to describe:

Number One was the bigger of them all, with huge heavy columns and shiny bronze doors. Number Two looked similar to Number One, except that the columns were slimmer and there were garlands of pomegranates and flowers. Peacock images were etched into the walls. Number Three had rough gray stone walls studded with pieces of seashell and coral. Number Four seemed organic, with a roof made of grass- real, by the way- and tomato vines fixed to the walls. Number Five was a splattered red cabin with barbed wire lining the top. A boar's head stood above the door, with eyes that seemed to follow you around. Number Six was a light though stormy gray with white curtains and an owl symbol above the door. Cabin 7 shimmered gold, literally. The light was blinding, like the jarring flash of a camera. Cabin 8 was similar, glowing silver at night, and by day it just looked silver. Cabin 9 was much like a factory: with smokestacks, fancy looking buttons, and red, brick walls. Then there was Cabin 10, also known as the Barbie house. It was decorated in lace, the roof was a baby blue, with gray walls. Even from where we were sitting Lindsey and I could smell the heavy perfume that wafted from the tried forcing me in there one time and I ;accidentally' shoved him into the lake. No biggie. Ah-hem, Cabin 11 looked most like the average cabin, with brown paint that had recently been touched up (although Colin and the Stoll twins had graffitied it already) and a caduceus over the door. Number 12 had grapevines on the walls. Cabin Number 13 (what do you know? It's an unlucky number, ya'll.) was my cabin. With thick, obsidian walls with torches that burned green, my cabin kept most campers away. Although it didn't really work on Lindsey, who, on the first day, came up to the cabin and started dotting it with stickers she had acquired from the Hermes' campers. "This makes it even more scary," she had explained, and there was still that gooey gunk left over on the walls to this day.

And why was this all important? Because this environment suited us demigods perfectly. That's right, we were part god. Not God, no, we were descendants from none other than the Olympian gods, like Zeus or Poseidon or Hermes and so on. You see, the Olympian gods the Earth from time to time, and hook up with some mortals. They have kids together, and -bam- you're half god, half human. And that's pretty cool except for when you go outside the camp where monsters can get you. And no, not the little under-the-bed monsters. I mean full-blown monsters like the Minotaur, dracinae, and griffins. Which is why we are required to stay at camp. Pretty straightforward stuff.

Whew. I am never explaining that again. You see how long that took? Now-

"Hey, what are you doing staring off into space like that?"

My thoughts were interrupted by Lindsey's voice. "Huh? What do you mean?" I asked, kind of annoyed.

"Well, I was talking to you, and you never answered."

"You should know by now that I sometimes don't listen to you."

"Yeah, but this was important."

"What, you going to lecture me on how vital it is to wash your hands?"

"No, but you do this a lot!" "So me doing this is important to why you're interrupting me now?"

"Yup! But I was talking about..." She took a sip and then glanced over my shoulder. "Hey, what's tha-"

"RAWR!" The dark was interrupted by a shadowy figure. Lindsey yelped and I dropped my cup of soda as a net dropped on top of us. The figure, dressed in black and wearing a ski mask, paused for a minute. So did we. Then, the silence was broken by the sound of suppressed laughter. Colin fell onto the dirt, laughing so hard he was clutching his sides. Lindsey stopped hyperventilating long enough to realize it was Colin. As for me, I was furious, partly because he had scared me and partly because he had succeeded in scaring me. A little, anyways. I pushed the heavy net off of me, and stood up. Lindsey did also, although she was smiling. For the gods' sake, did she have to smile all the time?! But I ignored that fact and glanced at her. She returned my look, and this time she raised her eyebrows. I nodded.

Colin stopped, looking up. "Uh, what are you two-"

"Now!" Both Lindsey and I lunged at Colin, whose eyes widened as he realized that we were going for him, and had enough time to claim that Travis had made him do it, before he was lifted off the ground on a platform of earth while encased in a little bubble of water. Normally, you could break out of water, but Lindsey was prepared. Every time the thirteen-year-old tried to break through it, the water surged around the break and sealed itself, like quicksand. His pleading eyes met mine, but this time, he wouldn't get any sympathy from me.

Maybe it was because his half brothers Travis and Connor and Lindsey's half brother Percy would point out that Lindsey and Colin were two of the only people that could tease me and live afterwards. Or not. I reminded myself to hunt down Travis, Conner, and Percy later.

In the meantime, I clapped, earning a grin from Lindsey. "And that is why we don't anger daughters of the Big Three," I proclaimed.

"But I'm the son of-"

"A lesser god, I know," I stated, Lindsey nodding in agreement. Colin didn't say anything for a moment, thinking.

Lindsey, noticing the pause, added, "Hey, at least we didn't dump you in the lake like the last time."

"Which means we need to do something different! Got any ideas, Lindsey?"

"You could just let me go!" Colin cut in, even though he obviously knew that wasn't going to happen. "You guys overreact!"

"I have a good plan," Lindsey whispered to me, ignoring Colin. "Why don't we-"

But before Lindsey finished her idea, the bubble dissolved, melting into the ground. Surprised, Lindsey took a step back. Colin, equally surprised, just stood there, staring off to my right. I turned. Sea-green eyes and wind-blown black hair stepped into view.

"Just what are you three up to now?" Percy Jackson exclaimed, exasperated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Lindsey POV**

Joanna shrugged. "What aren't we up to?"

I looked towards Joanna, Colin, and Percy before pointing at our friend. "Colin started it!"

"WHAT?! That is the biggest lie I've eve-"

"Colin, calm down," Percy exclaimed, his face a cross between amusement and an attempt at seriousness. Being stern wasn't really his thing.

"You guys are the rowdiest bunch this Camp has ever had with the exception of me, and my friends," Percy went on, fixing each of us with a piercing look. I couldn't help but remember all the times we went too far. "You guys need to tone it down a notch. The Apollo kids still haven't gotten over yesterday's incident."

"Hey, it's not our fault the chariot just happened to be in the way of our fire experiment!" I protested, while Colin nodded.

Joanna face-palmed herself. "You know, that's not a very good way to start a sentence, especially when we're trying to get out of a situation."

Percy chuckled. "I'll let you go again, but in all seriousness, the next time something like this happens, the camp rules are going to have to come into play."

"I didn't know this camp had rules," Joanna muttered, causing all four of us to snicker.

Percy sighed. "Okay, well, get on to bed. It's, like, past midnight."

"Yeah, yeah, we will," I exclaimed. We all waved goodbye and I started walking to the Poseidon cabin with Percy. "Hey, Percy, didn't you have plans with Annabeth tonight?" I teased, nudging him in the side.

It was too dark to tell, but I think Percy blushed. "Yeah.. about that-"

"Percy! Hurry up! The night's not going to last forever!" The voice of a teenage girl rang through the dark. Annabeth jogged up to us, her blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. It bounced with each step she took, and in a moment she had caught up with us.

"Oh, hey Lindsey!" She smiled, her piercing gray eyes shining like they always did as she saw Percy. "So, Percy..." She rocked on her toes, glanced at me, and then him.

I took the hint, and told them I was tired. "I'm going to go to bed." The two wished me a good night's sleep, and I slowly walked back to my cabin. The door creaked a little as I walked in, and I was greeted by the salty air of the cabin. The cabin was invisibly separated into my space, and then Percy's space. Percy's corner was as you'd expect from a regular boy: the bed was half-made, there were various items strewn across the room. An old horn from the Minotaur (yes, the real Minotaur) Percy had killed was hanging on the wall, as well as a shield given to him by our half-brother, Tyson.

I'm afraid my corner wasn't much better. Although my bed was made, there were various items thrown about my little area: shirts, sneakers, a pair of sunglasses, pens and pieces of paper. I started cleaning my room, since I didn't have anything to do and wasn't tired yet. I folded my clothes, dropped them into the drawer, and pushed it shut. I also unlatched a little charm bracelet I was wearing and set it on the drawer.

As I was picking up the pieces of paper off the ground, I came across an old picture. Picking it up, I sat on my bed and stared at it. It was a photo from my first day at camp. Joanna was there, smiling in front of the Big House. Colin was frowning as Percy hauled him off to the infirmary, and Chiron was standing beside me, a hand placed on my shoulder. And there I was next to them, a little dusty but grinning also. I looked a little confused, but nonetheless happy. I placed the picture on my dresser. They were my family.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, staring at the little photo, I didn't notice the voice until it became more insistent.

"Lindsey! Lindsey, come here!" Colin's voice filled my head, and I looked around the cabin suspiciously. Another prank? "Okay, where are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding. Really."

"Then where are you?"

"Uh, I'm kinda stuck. Outside."

I snickered. "That much is obvious."

A slight shuffle was audible through the wall. "Nevermind that, I need help here!" He growled slightly.  
I started toward the door, opening it. "What did you get stuck on, a blade of grass?" I stepped outside into the slightly chilly night air. The shadows cast by some torches nearby made it hard to see. I stared hard at the shadows. I took a breath, about to ask where my friend was.  
"I'm out back." At the sound of his voice, I thought of what he might be stuck on. Probably had his shirt caught between underneath a rock or something. Obviously he was trying to scare me, again.  
I started walking towards the back. "Colin, you couldn't have just cut yourself free? You have a million shirts." I stepped around the corner, and was greeted by... nothing.

I sighed. "You know I hate it when you do stuff like thi-"

There was a slight rustle behind me, accompanied by another growl, and I was knocked off my feet by what felt like a hoof. By instinct, I quickly rolled out of the way, just as another cloven hoof slammed onto the ground where I was a moment before. Jumping to my feet, I quickly ran over to a patch of grass that was slightly illuminated by the full moon shining up in the star-filled sky. The thing that had attacked me moved into the patch as well, and I quickly sized up my opponent.

It was not one of the regularly seen monsters, that much I could tell. It had the body of a stag with cloven hooves and the neck of a lion. Instead of teeth it had sharp, bony ridge. It snorted and pawed the ground, and then charged, snapping at me.  
I sidestepped, reaching for my wrist. But there was nothing there. The one day I doleave my weapon in the cabin, I thought, cursing myself. The creature, having snapped its jaws on thin air, turned, reared, and kicked. I barely had enough time to jump backwards. The Leukrokottas, which I remembered now from one of my lessons, paused for a moment, opening its jaws. "Aw, come on Lindsey. Why are you being so difficult?" The voice of Colin said. Well, that was kind of disconcerting. I stared at the creature for a moment, long enough for the monster to whip its tail around and slap me in the face. And it hurt. A lot.

I staggered backwards, pressing a hand to my face, which felt like it was on fire, and scanned the area for anything useful. Then, almost smacking myself, I looked at the stone walls of my cabin. As the creature came in for the kill, which was pretty scary, I focused on one of the seashells fixed to the gray wall. I felt a tug in my gut, and suddenly water burst forth from the little piece of shell, rocketing at the Leukrokottas. I used the method from before, and created a dome around the animal. I knew this wouldn't last for long, and, without taking my eyes of the creature, I jogged backwards, thankfully not tripping over anything, until I reached the entrance of my cabin. Still staring at the trapped Leukrokottas, I fumbled for the doorknob, opening the door.

I heard the sound of water splashing onto the ground as I entered the room, and I darted over to the dresser, snatched up my bracelet, and ran outside as the Leukrokottas rammed into the side of the cabin, making a loud thump. I pressed a little button on one of the charms, and the bracelet elongated, forming a sword. Just in time, too. As the Leukrokottas aimed another kick, its hooves coming at blinding speed, I shut my eyes and swung the sword. There was a sickening rip, and then another thud. I opened my eyes to a blast of yellow dust as the monster dissolved, leaving behind nothing but the lingering voice of my friend. I plopped myself down on the grass, my back leaning against the stone wall of the cabin.

By this time some of the campers had opened their doors to see what was going on, a few of them looking like they had just rolled off of their beds, which was probably what happened. Among them was Joanna, popping out of a shadow next to me, not looking tired at all. Colin sleepily propped open the door to his cabin, only to get dragged out of the doorway by Joanna.

"Who? What?" Colin exclaimed, as the two approached my little area. Joanna took in the sight of the yellow powder and immediately deduced what had happened. Colin was just standing there, looking like he was ready to go back to sleep.

Joanna looked at me. "You're kicking monster butt in the middle of the night and not telling me?" She said, grinning.

"Yes, I happen to have that sort of urge." I smiled back, although it hurt my face slightly.

Colin, finally grasping what happened, looked around warily. "Are there any more?"

"As far as I can tell, no, there aren't," I stated, standing up as Chiron galloped over with medical supplies.

"Is anybody hurt?" he asked worriedly.

"Well, the thing whacked me in the face with it's tail, but otherwise everything's okay." I accepted the ice pack Chiron gave to me.

"What was it, exactly?" Chiron asked, as Percy and Annabeth appeared beside him.

"I'm pretty sure it was a Leukrokottas. After all, it kept imitating Colin's voice, which is usually what Leukrokottai do."

Colin looked at me. "And you believed it?"

"No, I usually tend not to believe voices when I hear them," I retorted sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

Annabeth started pacing. "How did it get into the camp? We usually don't release Leukrokottai into the forest."

Chiron's eye darkened with worry as he apparently found some deeper meaning in this attack. "The signs..." he muttered, starting to walk back towards the Big House. Annabeth stopped pacing and followed, trailed by Percy. "Wait, what signs? Chiron, tell me what's the meaning of this." As Annabeth kept asking questions, the three of them entered the Big House, Chiron having to duck under the doorway to fit inside.  
As the campers shuffled away, probably to gossip about what had happened, Joanna, Colin, and I exchanged glances. We crept towards the Big House, crouching under the windowsill. From our spots, we could faintly hear the voices of Chiron, Percy, and Annabeth.

"Child, you know that I don't like it when you push me like this. Some matters are just for adults." Chiron's voice sounded tired and weary, as if he hasn't slept for days.

"And you know that I don't like it when you keep things to yourself!" Annabeth pleaded. "You know I can handle it."

A loud thump was heard, then a muffled curse.

Chiron's voice, weary as if he had aged a few years, exclaimed, "Percy, if you're going to knock over things, please do so by the obstacle course."

"Sorry."

"Chiron, tell me. Please?" Annabeth sounded annoyed.

Chiron sighed. "Fine. But I can only tell you a little."

"Rachel came to me not long after the Titan War ended, and produced a prophecy. It spoke of a daughter of Poseidon, daughter of Hades, and son of Hermes. A relic that was lost long ago must be found by them before another force does."

This time, Percy spoke up. "And what is this 'other force?'"

"I... cannot tell you. I do believe, though, that Lindsey, Colin, and Joanna will have to watch their backs, because worse things will be after them."

There was silence. I looked towards Joanna, who was frowning as she thought. Colin was trying to restrain himself lest he burst through the door. I looked up at the sky, which for one seemed menacing. Twistin my bracelet nervously, I hoped it wouldn't stay that way.

Chiron's voice broke through our thoughts. "Annabeth, Percy, I want you two to keep a close watch on those three. Make sure they don't get themselves into any trouble."

"We will," Percy and Annabeth said in unison. There was the sound of movement, and all three of them walked outside. As they started walking back to their cabins, Joanna quickly grabbed our shirts. Since we were in the shadow of the windowsill, there was no need for us to move. We all melted into the shadows as Joanna deposited each of us into our rooms.

I had just enough time to pull on my pajamas, hop into bed, and turn the light off as the door opened and Percy walked in. I slowed my breathing, giving a slight snore so Percy would think I'm asleep.

He stopped by my bed, looking down at me as I watched him with my eyes open a tiny bit. Then he tousled my hair, walking over to his bed and climbing in since he was already in his pajamas. I smiled slightly, although after a while I turned onto my back, staring at the ceiling.

What was this relic? Was there going to be a quest? I was excited, but we don't even know where to look! What if something bad happened? What if I screwed up? What if, what if, what if? Oh well, I'll think about it more tomorrow. Right now I was so... Tired.. But wait, I can't fall... Asleep... Now...

My vision turned inky black as I nodded off.


	3. Chapter 3

"Yo Colin! Wake up!"

I opened my eyes tiredly, and was greeted with a slap in my face.

"Wh-what was that for?!" I exclaimed loudly, sitting up. Travis and Connor stood on either side of my bed, grinning.

Suspicious, I glanced around my bed and my things. Nothing seemed off. That is, nothing seemed off until Travis held up a long, rectangular piece of paper.

"What's this? I found it in your jean pockets." Travis held it by two fingers, dangling it in the air. Realizing what it was, I lunged, snatching it from his hand. That was a stupid move. Connor covered his mouth mockingly.

"Zeus almighty! Why did you get so worked up?" He raised his eyebrows twice, giving me a look.

I carefully slipped the piece of paper into one of my drawers. "I don't want you wrinkling it. This is one of my few pictures I have that are from before I came here."

Travis narrowed his eyes. "Fine. But for a second there I thought you liiikkkeee-"

"Shut up." I stood up, pulling on a shirt. Glancing at the drawer I had laid the picture in, I thought of the time when I had taken that picture. It was one of the only times Joanna and I had had some fun: at this old, run-down arcade place. She had pulled me over to one of those photo booths, pleading for a picture. And since I happened to have a quarter on me, I obliged. She would have been put down the rest of the day if I had refused anyways.

But there we were, Joanna smiling like she was on one big adventure, and me looking into the camera with one of those tough looks, although I was smiling. The next one showed Joanna pulling my hood over my head, and me ducking down, trying to avoid her. The third scene showed me trying to stuff Joanna's head in my backpack, her in mid-squeal and me laughing my head off. And the fourth and final one was both of us, sitting together and singing a song. Joanna's eyes sparkled like they always did when she sang, and I was there, singing along in my horrible, out of key voice, arm over her shoulder. I smiled as I thought of that memory, as sweet and happy as honey. Yeah. I'm not good at comparisons.

I hurried getting dressed, or else the Stolls would surely snoop around some more. Then I opened the door of my cabin, stepping outside into the warm sunny air.

"Hey, Colin!" Percy greeted, standing outside of my door.

"Oh, uh, hey Percy." I couldn't help but think of Chiron's words: _'Annabeth, Percy, I want you two to keep a close watch on those three. Make sure they don't get themselves into any trouble_._' _Was this what he meant, that each of us were going to have a little chaperone?

Percy looked at me, as if he was sizing me up. I stared back. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"I'm fitting you for armor. I think you grew a little taller."

"Oh."

I followed Percy to a shed. There were rows and rows of armor, helmets, shields, etc. Percy picked one out and handed it to me.

"Here you go."

I slipped into the plate, and adjusted the leather straps so that it fit. "Oh yeah, it feels better than my old one."

Percy smiled. "Great! I was thinking you and me could do some sword practice at the arena."

"Just you and me?"

"No, I'm going to have some of the new campers there as well."

"Oh, great. Are you going to make me your punching bag?"

"You're an experienced combatant, Colin. It's just that I need someone who knows the difference between a sword and a knife." At that, both of us laughed, and we exited the dark, dusty shed and headed towards the arena.

I spotted Lindsey, who was scrambling up the rock wall. She spotted me, and gave a wave, almost losing her footing as the walls gave a big shake. She clambered up the rest, then stood up and surveyed the camp, reminding me of a king -er, queen- surveying the land.

Further on was Joanna, pegging targets in the blink of an eye with her bow and arrow. One kid, probably a newbie, stood beside her, gawking as each arrow quivered, embedded straight into the target's center. She turned and waved at Percy and I as she shot the last arrow she had, still hitting the bulls-eye.

"Sure you're not an Apollo kid?" I laughed, stopping as a long, sharpened rock shot out of the ground and into Joanna's hands.

"You were saying?"

"Uh... nothing?"

"That's what I thought." She turned to Percy, ignoring me. "I'm coming with you guys. I have _got_ to see you 'pretty boys' rough each other up for the newbies."

I said nothing. Now my crus- er, best friend was going to watch me get mauled along with the newbies?

Joanna, sensing my discomfort, smirked. "Hey, you know, I should get Lindsey too-"

"No! I am _not _making a spectacle I myself!"

Joanna laughed. "Fine. Anyways, she's busy messing around with the Stolls."

I looked over my shoulder. Sure enough, the three of them were laughing from behind one of the bushes. Nearby, Nico started spazzing, and a moment later pulled a crab out of his jacket. He looked around, pretty annoyed.

I shook my head and chuckled. As we reached the arena, I swung my leg over the ropes fencing in the arena, and took out my pocketknife. Percy, who already had Riptide out and ready, turned to face the little crowd of people.

Some of them snickered at what they thought was my simple little Swiss Army Knife. I smiled. They were going to be a little surprised.

"Now, I'm going to show you a simple yet effective move," Percy addressed the small gathering. Joanna leaned against the side wall, watching with an amused expression.

"Okay, first of all, note the angle I'm holding the hilt of the sword..." As Percy kept explaining, my mind drifted off, thinking random things. The way Joanna's hair moved in the wind, the way her eyes sparkled, her laugh...

"Son of a-!" I shouted as I instinctively jumped back and blocked a punch my arm. Percy smiled as he recoiled his fist.

"You listening now?"

I pouted, but nodded. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Joanna doubled over, laughing. Lindsey (trying to cover her smirk), Travis and Conner (both of whom _weren't_ trying to cover theirs) had joined Joanna sometime in my zone-out. Percy sighed.

"Alright, lets get this over with." He held up Riptide as he beckoned me forward with two fingers, smirking. I laughed, flipping my knife. Gasps from the watching newbies filled the air as I caught Shard by its obsidian hilt. Its half celestial bronze, half imperial gold blade even made the great Percy Jackson look somewhat nervous. I winked at Joanna, catching her blush before I lunged at the son of Poseidon. He was surprised.

I loved sword fighting. I became a whole other person, at least, towards most people. Each parry, slash, jab... And this time, I felt something inside of me swell. A clatter could be heard as Riptide was thrown onto the ground, and skidded towards the opposite side of the arena.

Silence filled the air, broken only by a few gasps. Percy, eyebrows raised in surprise, quickly recovered and stooped down to pick up his sword. He smiled wide, setting his sword by the edge of the arena and walking over to clap me on the back.

"Nice. I can see you'll be my replacement." His eyes twinkled as he said the last words. I was relieved. Usually when I beat most people, they muttered something I'm pretty sure wasn't nice and stalked away. Percy didn't seem bothered at all. That was one of his good qualities.

"What? No I can't. But thanks," I said gratefully, flipping my sword slightly, watching as it shrank down.

"Oh, wait," Percy exclaimed, looking at my shirt. "I think you got some dirt on your shirt."

I glanced down. "I don't see an-"

Percy's thumb flicked upwards, catching me by the nose. I jerked my head upwards to see Percy snickering. "Hey!" I exclaimed, annoyed.

Percy looked up at me. "We're not done; get that sword back out, buddy. You're not teacher yet."

I grinned as I took out my sword again, not paying attention to the side conversations that had sprung up as usual.

Percy took his sword. "Okay people, look up here now."

We practiced a few more drills, and after a while Percy said I could go take a break.

"You seem tired. Go get a water. I can handle it now. And good job out there! Keep it up." Percy glanced back at the training campers. "Hey Nick! Don't steal Ben's scarecrow! Robbie, get out of the weapons shack or I'm going to set Mrs. O'Leary on you!" He shouted as two boys grappled over one of the dummies they were practicing on. and another was creeping out of the little shed labeled 'Weapons.' "I gotta go. I'll catch you later though. Don't go outside camp!" Percy jogged back towards the fighting campers. "Cut it out you two!"

I chuckled a bit, and turned around to walk back to my cabin. Joanna stood in front of me, her eyes glinting as she stared me down.

"Pretty good, Messenger Boy," She exclaimed, smiling. Lindsey, who was beside her, nodded enthusiastically.

"Thanks, Devil Girl." I teased, tapping her forehead. She blushed a little, then pushed me back.

Lindsey, who was watching the two of us, whispered something in Joanna's ear, making the latter blush (unless she was mad) even harder. Lindsey looked at me funny, a half-smile on her face, before walking off, throwing an 'I've got to go do something' excuse over her shoulder.

"What was that?" I asked, confused.

Joanna muttered something under her breath that sounded like 'I'm gonna go kill her later' before turning to me. "Eh, just being all weird." She looked at me, then walked away. "Come on, I want to show you something."

I followed, but stopped as she reached the campground borders. "Uh, Percy said not to go out of the camp."

"And you're going to listen to him? Hello, where's Colin?" Joanna smirked, waving a hand in front of my face. I caught it, then released my grip.

"I don't know, it's just... I'm curious about yesterday."

Joanna took on a more serious face. "Yeah. Me too. I want to hear the prophecy. I mean, it's killing me, I want to know so bad!"

"Yeah," I agreed. We were stepping side by side now. My hand lightly brushed hers, and I was just on the verge of taking it when a shout emerged from behind us. Of all the times?!

Percy stumbled over to us. "Colin! I told you not to go out of the camp! And with Joanna too! Come back with me!" He seemed a little stoked, so we followed him back without hesitation looked in the direction we were heading. The Big House. Oops.

"Hey guys! Look what I-" The steady thud of footsteps approached. All three of us turned around to see Lindsey running up. She broke off as she saw Percy was with us. She held a piece of paper in her hands, which she tried to hide in her pocket once she arrived. "Oh, uh, hey Percy!"

Percy stared at her pocket suspiciously. "Let me look at that."

"What?! But this is personal..."

"Let me see."

Lindsey reluctantly took out the folded piece of paper. She held it out, and Percy took it from her, unfolding it as he scanned what appeared to be a scrawled jumble of words. For a moment he just stared at it, shocked. Then he looked at Lindsey, who had suddenly found interest in counting the beads on her necklace.

If Percy was stoked before, he sure looked mad now. "Where did you get this?"

Joanna and I glanced at each other, then at Lindsey, who was still absorbed in her necklace. But I could see a ghost of a smile on her lips as she probably recounted what she had done.

"Never mind. Come with me." Percy stalked up the stairs and into the Big House. Joanna, Lindsey, and I trailed slightly behind. Joanna cast Lindsey a questioning look, which was returned by a nervous but excited smile. _Thank me later, _she mouthed to us, raising her eyebrows. For what? We both crossed the threshold, and into the house. Chiron looked up from where he and Annabeth were playing poker. Or rather, he was trying to play, and Annabeth was busy talking. Percy walked in, and the rest of us crowded into the doorway.

"I think it's time, Chiron. They won't sit still."


End file.
